By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Senior Correspondent
A 37-year-old customer of Unity Bank Plc, Adeagbo Samson Bayonle, was Thursday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s court for alleged conspiracy and stealing of $64,822.97 belonging to the bank with Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card.
Bayonle was alleged to have conspired with one Dayo Ogunseyitan (now at large) and hacked in the account of the bank and used ATM card to withdraw the said sum of $64,822.97 from various accounts in the bank and vermused.
He was docked on information contained in Charge No V/73/2017 on a two-counts charge of felony to wit, conspiracy and stealing. After listening to the charge read out to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor Inspector Wewe Adegbayi had told the court how the management of Unity Bank Plc
Lagos reported the matter to police through a petition to the Commissioner of Police,(CP) in charge of the Police Special Fraud Unit,(PSFU),Ikoyi, Lagos who directed a team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lazarus Nurus to fish out the suspects.
According to the prosecutor, following tip off, a Police team tracked and arrested the accused at a hide out and took him to the Station while his accomplice managed to escape. He told the court that the Police have launched a manhunt for the arrest of Ogunseyitan.
Inspector Adegbayi further informed the court that the accused and Dayo Ogunseyitan now at large committed the offence on November 6, 2017 in Lagos, Ibadan and various places in Nigeria.
Bayonle and his accomplice connived to hack into the account of the Bank. He modified his ATM card to dollars denominations and used the ATM card to withdrew the sum of $64,822.97 from the Bank accounts in Lagos,Ibadan and other various places and escaped before he was eventually arrested.
According to the prosecutor the offences allegedly committed by the accused are punishable under Sections 323(2) and 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011
However, his counsel Olusegun Adaranijo prayed the Court to admit the defendant to bail in the most liberal terms,adding that he would not jump bail if granted.
In granting the prayers of defence counsel, Magistrate B.I Bakare admitted him to bail in the sum of N5million with two surties in like sum, one of whom must be a landed property owner in Lagos.
In adjourning the matter till January 17, 2018 for mention,Bakare also directed that the two surties must deposit the sum of N50,000 each into the Court’s Chief Registrar’s account while the defendant be kept at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos till he fulfill the bail conditions.
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